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Protecting Immigrant Children with a clean DREAM Act

The following is a message from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

We need your help to urge Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act to preserve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Yesterday, the White House announced several new demands in exchange for renewing the DACA program, which include policies that would jeopardize the health, safety and rights of immigrant and refugee children and families.

The DACA program, which was established in 2012, has allowed about 800,000 people who came to the U.S. as children to stay and work in the country under two-year renewable permits. The children who were protected under DACA have grown into young adults who have served our country in uniform, graduated from colleges and universities and have invested their lives and work in our cities and communities.

In early September, the Trump Administration decided to end the program in March 2018. Right now, current work permits still are valid and those expiring before March were eligible for a 2-year renewal if they were renewed by October 5, 2017, but the government will not accept new applications moving forward.

Renewing the DACA program should not come at the cost of penalizing, harming, or criminalizing other immigrant children, such as unaccompanied minor children or their parents.The bipartisan, bicameral DREAM Act would keep the DACA program permanently intact without any other harmful policies against immigrant and refugee children and families.

Tell Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act without delay.

Contact your members of Congress: Click on the "Take Action" button above and you will find a draft email, talking points and additional background information to guide your outreach. You can also visit the AAP's federal advocacy website and click on "Pass Legislation to Protect the DACA Program" in the Advocacy Action Center. (Login required using your AAP ID and password.)

Thank you for your help on this advocacy issue and work to protect immigrant children and families.